Perth was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1918, 1918 to 1950, and 1997 to 2005. From 1832 to 1918 it was a burgh constituency. From 1918 to 1950, and 1997 to 2005, it was a county constituency. During each of the three periods it elected one Member of Parliament (MP).

Boundaries Boundaries 1832 to 1918 As created by the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, and first used in the 1832 general election, the constituency included the burgh of Perth and was one of two constituencies covering the county of Perth. The other was the Perthshire constituency (except that five detached parishes of the county were within the Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire constituencyBoundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972 (), F. W. S. Craig 1972).

The boundaries of the constituency, as set out in the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, were-

"From the North-western Corner of the North Inch, on the Right Bank of the River Tay, in a straight Line to the Bridge on the Mill Lead at the Boot of Balhousie; thence in a straight Line to the Bridge on the Glasgow Road over the Scouring Burn; thence in a straight Line to the Southern Corner of the Water Reservoir of the Dept; thence in a straight Line to the Southern Corner of the Friarton Pier on the River Tay; thence across the River Tay (passing to the South of the Friarton Island) to the Point at which the same is met by the Boundary of the respective Parishes of Kinfauns and Kinnoul; thence, Northward, along the Boundary of the Parish of Kinfauns to the Point at which the several Boundaries of the Properties of Kinfauns, Kinnoul, and Barnhill meet; thence in a straight Line to the North-eastern Corner of Lord Kinnoul's Lodge, at the Gate of Approach to Kinnoul Hill; thence in a straight Line to the North-eastern Corner of the Enclosure of the Lunatic Asylum; thence in a straight Line to the Point at which the Annatty Burn crosses the Blairgowrie Road; thence down the Annatty Burn to the Point at which the same joins the River Tay; thence in a straight Line to the Point first described."Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, Schedule (M).

Prior to the 1832 general election, the county (including the detached parishes) had been covered by the Perthshire constituency and Perth Burghs. Perth Burghs consisted of the burgh of Perth and burghs in the county of Fife and the county of Forfar.

The 1832 boundaries of the Perth constituency were used also in the general elections of 1835, 1837, 1841, 1847, 1852, 1857, 1859, 1865, 1868, 1874 and 1880.

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 divided the Perthshire constituency to create Eastern Perthshire and Western Perthshire. There was no change to the boundaries of the Perth constituency. Therefore, the 1832 boundaries of the Perth constituency were used again in the general elections of 1885, 1886, 1892, 1895, 1900, 1906, January 1910 and December 1910.

Boundaries 1918 to 1950 By 1918 county boundaries had been redefined under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 and, in creating new constituency boundaries, the Representation of the People Act 1918 took account of new local government boundaries. The Perth constituency became one of two county constituencies covering the county of Perth and the county of Kinross, and was first used as such in the 1918 general election. The other constituency was Kinross and West Perthshire.

The Perth constituency was defined as consisting of the burghs of Abernethy, Alyth, Blairgowrie, Coupar Angus, Perth, and Rattray in the county of Perth and the Blairgowrie and Perth districts of the county, and the same boundaries were used for the general elections of 1922, 1923, 1924, 1929, 1931, 1935 and 1945.

For the 1950 general election the constituency was replaced by the Perth and East Perthshire constituency, which was defined by the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949 to have exactly the same boundaries as the former Perth constituency.

1997 to 2005 For the 1997 general election Perth was recreated, and was a constituency entirely within the Perth and Kinross council area, which had been established the year before, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994.Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994, Office of Public Sector Information website The council area was otherwise covered by North Tayside to the north, which also covered part of the Angus council area, Angus to the east, which also covered part of the Angus council area and part of the Dundee City council area, and Ochil to the south, which also covered the Clackmannanshire council area and part of the Stirling council area.

The same boundaries were used for the 2001 general election.

For the 2005 general election, the Perth constituency was largely replaced by Ochil and South Perthshire, covering the Clackmannanshire council area and a southern portion of the Perth and Kinross council area. Perth and North Perthshire was created to cover the rest of the Perth and Kinross council area.

Constituency profile

Members of Parliament MPs 1832–1918 Election Member Party1832 Laurence Oliphant Whig1837 Arthur Kinnaird Whig1839 by-election David Greig Whig1841 Hon. Fox Maule Whig1852 by-election Arthur Kinnaird Whig1859 Liberal1878 by-election Charles Stuart Parker Liberal1885 Independent Liberal1886 Liberal1892 William Whitelaw Conservative1895 Robert Wallace Liberal1907 by-election Sir Robert Pullar Liberal1910 (January) Frederick Whyte Liberal 1918 Constituency abolished

MPs 1918–1950 Election Member Party Notes 1918 William Young Coalition Liberal Member for East Perthshire (1910–18) Jan 1922 National Liberal Nov 1922 Noel Skelton Unionist 1923 Robert Macgregor Mitchell Liberal 1924 Noel Skelton Unionist From 1931, MP for the Combined Scottish Universities 1931 Mungo Murray Unionist Later 7th Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield 1935 by-election Francis Norie-Miller National Liberal 1935 Sir Thomas Hunter Unionist 1945 Alan Gomme-Duncan UnionistContested Perth and East Perthshire following redistribution 1950 Constituency abolished

MPs 1997–2005 Election Member Party Notes 1997 Roseanna Cunningham Scottish National Partypreviously MP for Perth and Kinross 2001 Annabelle Ewing Scottish National Party daughter of Winnie Ewing 2005 constituency abolished

Election results

1832 to 1918

Kinnaird's resignation caused a by-election.

Maule was appointed Secretary at War, requiring a by-election.

Maule was appointed President of the Board of Control, requiring a by-election.

Maule succeeded to the peerage, becoming Lord Panmure and causing a by-election.

Kinnaird succeeded to the peerage, becoming Lord Kinnaird.

1918 to 1930

1930s

1940s

1997 to 2005

Notes and references